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Distraction

The world is a distracting place. No matter where you are or what you're doing, there are any number of things designed specifically to draw your attention elsewhere. It's true when you're driving, too, which is why automakers like BMW have crafted technologies like lane departure warning.

Concerned that "gadgets and bells and whistles" are distracting drivers, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is reportedly pushing to keep the technologies out of driver's hands – without going so far as to say he'll try to restrict them. LaHood, who has already campaigned for a ban on hand-held texting and cell phone use while operating a moving vehicle, says he is "going to talk to the car manufacturers and see where this leads."

As always, it ain't the crime, it's the cover-up. In what looks to be Congress protecting its turf, a planned study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on driver distraction – specifically, drivers using cell phones – was put on hold. The reason, according to The New York Times, was allegedly a fear of upsetting the Capitol body. The reason, according to an ex-head of NHTSA, was "to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who had warned the agency to stick to its mis

Many have observed the recent uptick in teenage drivers having accidents while text messaging, often with tragic consequences. Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions have recently carried out research that shows texting to be the list-topping distraction among the more than 900 teens they polled. SADD and Liberty Mutual have been collecting data for seven years about teen behavior, attitudes and decision making while driving. They've amassed a treasure trove of information abo

Cell phone usage has proven to be very distracting for drivers, and several states have banned the use of the hand-held devices for drivers. Now lawmakers in a dozen states are taking a broader approach to what electronic devices should be banned. Although there is little in the way of concrete evidence that links front seat DVD players, fax machines, iPods, and computers to accidents, it's pretty obvious that they're a distraction to the driver. To curb the usage of these devices, states like T

There
was a time when the worst distraction to a driver was either changing the radio station or adjusting the HVAC controls.
Now drivers have a few more items to contend with: cell phones; GPS navigation systems, CD changers; satellite radio;
iPods; night vision; etc.